


sunshine

by syncopate (orphan_account)



Series: hanahaki disease [7]
Category: SHINee
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, M/M, fail!humour, i'm still trying to make hanahaki less angst, side!jongkey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-10 07:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10432095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/syncopate
Summary: in which taemin has hanahaki disease and absolutely no idea why.





	

the smartest thing to do, taemin decides, when he wakes up in the middle of a friday night with flower petals on his bedsheet and more coming out of his mouth, would be to call jinki. jinki his favourite friend; the one who most often gives in to his wiles, the one taemin relies on most. also the one he went drinking with earlier, so the one who would probably have an answer to what is almost definitely an allergic reaction to some alcohol mix.

 

unfortunately, jinki doesn't answer; he sleeps like the dead sometimes. and taemin knows despite the fact that jongin was there as well, calling him would be an exercise in futility; his crush had been manning the bar and he had spent the entire span of time trying to get her to talk to him. that means, taemin is left with the unsavory option of trying to wake kibum up. 

 

he creeps over to his flatmate's door and prays the boyfriend isn't over before lightly pushing it open. he's in the midst of tip-toeing over to the bed when he realises keeping silent is going against his intention and practically stomps over to kibum, poking at his shoulder then shaking it. he's just come up with the idea of pouring cold water over kibum's very pretty face when said flatmate's eyes open blearily. "where's the fire?"

 

"this just came out of my mouth," taemin announces without preamble, waving a blue petal in kibum's face.

 

kibum's eyes focus on it and then he snorts and rolls away. "not a fire," he declares, snuggling back into the blankets.

 

"kiii." taemin jumps onto the bed, practically sitting on his friend. "help me." he bats his eyelashes hopefully, and kibum scoffs. 

 

"you probably need lessons from jjong if you want to use that," he tells taemin, but he's smiling a little. 

 

"this? out of my mouth?" taemin tries again, waving the petal practically on kibum's nose.

 

kibum rolls his eyes. "either jinki made you eat the contents of an entire flower shop yesterday while you were drunk, or you have hanahaki disease," he informs taemin, and would have rolled away again if taemin hadn't still been sitting on him.

 

"hana  _ what _ ki?" 

 

this time when kibum scoffs, it doesn't sound sleepy anymore. "hanahaki, the unrequited love disease. flowers grow in your lungs when you're in one-sided love. tell the person; if they love you back the flowers will go away. if they don't, a small surgery will fix that."

 

"how did you even know about this?"

 

"it's called general knowledge, taemin. and jjong had it before we got together." he says the last part almost guiltily.

 

"okay, i should talk to jonghyun then?" 

 

"why do you have to? just talk to the person you're in love with, and then decide. surgery, or not." kibum waves him off with the hand that isn't wedged under taemin's knee.

 

"but who am i in love with?"

 

there's a long silence after taemin's question, and he's pretty sure if kibum's eyes could drop out of his head, they would.

 

"how the fuck would  _ i _ know?!"

 

during the staring the ensues, taemin decides it's probably about time he clambers off kibum and goes back to his own room.

 

"but for the record, my bet is on jinki," kibum yells at taemin's back. 

 

taemin snorts, and doesn't bother to wonder why the flowers twist at the name.

 

in love with jinki.  _ please. _

 

~-~

 

he calls jonghyun the next morning after he wakes up and is in the midst of grilling him about the "that hana whatever disease thing" when a disheveled and yawning kibum walks over and plops into an empty chair.

 

"are you talking to my boyfriend?"

 

when taemin nods, kibum laughs. "jjong won't be able to tell you anything. he knew immediately when the flowers appeared, before even."

 

kibum's voice is loud enough and at his words, jonghyun laughs too. "he's right, i don't know how to tell you how. or even what's the right way to find out. you just...know."

 

"you just know."

 

"yeah,  _ kibum _ only figured it out when i told him i was going for the surgery and then not even until the day itself. he ran to my hospital room and begged me not to do it."

 

"did he  _ really?" _ taemin's eyes dart to kibum. and there must be something in the look because kibum grabs his phone. 

 

"what are you telling him?" taemin watches in amusement as kibum colours. "you don't have to tell him everything!"

 

he viciously jabs the end call button, glare melting slowly into a soft smile when his own phone starts ringing almost immediately. 

 

"and now you two will spend the next three hours on the phone and forget about poor me," taemin grouses.

 

kibum pauses, and contemplates taemin. "well, we're meeting for lunch so it'll be an hour at most." he says, flippantly. 

 

"we can't tell you who you love, tae," he continues, voice turning softer, gentler, when taemin doesn't smile back. "it's your heart and your feelings."

 

"but we  _ can _ give you our opinion and for the record, i still think it's jinki. please consider."

 

taemin rolls his eyes. kibum is such a one track record. "shut up, kibum."

 

~-~

 

_ i think it's jinki, if you still need my input _

 

taemin snorts at jonghyun's message when it comes in, and taps one back quickly.

 

_ & im psure kibum put u on tht route _

 

a winking smiley is the only response.

 

~~

 

one and a half hours later, jinki himself texts.

 

_ Hey, saw your missed call. Sorry just woke up.  What happened at 4am?  _

 

_ hw do u sleep til 1145? _

 

_ I am a hardworking man. I deserve rest. What happened at 4am? _

 

_ tk me out for lunch _

 

_ Fine. Give me 45min. _

 

taemin grins at his phone.

 

"texting jinki?" kibum asks, walking past on his way out the door and ducks when taemin throws a nearby cushion at him.

 

~-~

 

taken together, taemin has probably sort of known jinki for around 10 years on off; two years when jinki was the senior in high school he never spoke to but took the same bus as and then later after college when he walked in on his first day as a dentist's assistant to a face with a vaguely familiar smile at the reception desk. but taemin only really counts the three years working together. 

 

who really understands why people click when they do? certainly not taemin. but that's what happened. the first time jinki invited him for lunch, it was probably because he was new and vaguely familiar, and jinki felt sorry for him. but taemin likes to think that maybe the second time was because taemin made him laugh. and maybe the third time was because they had things in common; or at least they could talk. about politics, where taemin had little knowledge but much interest in what jinki had to say, about showbiz, where  _ jinki _ had little knowledge but listened as taemin divulged gossip, about dentistry and dreams, computer games, books, and the one time each of them had almost gone for an audition to an entertainment company. 

 

taemin rarely likes people that quickly, takes a while to open up to people, to let people open up to him. but jinki is easy to like, even if for all appearances he's just as guarded as taemin. and maybe it's because of that, that they could sync their steps, become closer in a timeframe that suited them both. whatever it was, jinki becomes part of taemin's everyday. 

 

it's three years later, and his smile still makes taemin smile back, whatever his mood may be. 

 

it helps that jinki loves to do things for taemin, treat him to meals, buy him gifts, listen to him ramble on the phone. "mercenary," kibum tells him, when taemin mentions this.

 

"kibum says i'm making use of you," taemin told jinki after. jinki just laughed, reaching over to ruffle taemin's hair. 

 

"are you?" he asked.

 

"i don't think so."

 

"then you're not."

 

taemin thought jinki's smile could make summer jealous.

 

~-~

 

it's in the middle of lunch that taemin starts coughing, and it's the first time the illness  _ hurts _ , a sobbing hurt in the centre of his chest, like his heart is crying. the petals escape his mouth, land in his fried rice, jarring against the white. he stares at them mutely for a moment, taken by surprise. he had almost forgotten about the flower garden in his chest. 

 

and then he's coughing again, hard, racking,  _ painful. _ and it should bother him that worry is in the lines of jinki's face, that the fellow diners at the restaurant are looking over, that the manager is in serious discussion with his staff -- probably planning to throw him out. but all he can think is it  _ hurtshurtshurts _ and he still  _ doesn't know. _

 

when the tears gather in his eyes, they are of frustration, not sorrow. 

 

~-~

 

"is that what happened at 4am?"

 

jinki's question comes after he's quietly paid and gently ushered taemin out when the tears and consistent coughing didn't look ready to stop. 

 

"i don't know who it  _ is,"  _ taemin gasps out, instead of answering. "it's so stupid. you'd think i would  _ know." _

 

jinki pulls him in and lets taemin curl into him. it's easier to breathe like this, taemin thinks. "you don't know 'til you do know, sometimes," jinki murmurs, his hand a comforting warmth against taemin's back. 

 

and it shouldn't make that much sense, but taemin gets it, and he laughs a little, the tears clearing. he hopes the person he's in love with is like jinki; solid and stable, with a quirky and totally random sense of humour that taemin always gets, silly  _ and  _ serious, intelligent, honest, warm and... _ oh. _

 

he goes still as the revelation slowly slides from the back of his mind to the front. "oh," he says out loud.

 

"hmm?" jinki frowns when taemin pulls away.

 

"i'm in love with you!" it's probably supposed to sound like a confession but comes out like an accusation. taemin points a finger at jinki. "it's  _ your _ fault i have flowers growing in my lungs.  _ yours." _

 

"i'm sorry?" jinki's brows furrow and taemin lowers his finger, laughing a bit.

 

"if i have to be in love, i'm glad it's you." 

 

taemin smiles at jinki, brushes his hand across jinki's forehead to smoothen out the furrowed brows, then fishes his phone out from his bag. "now that i know, i can get the surgery! kibum will be pleased. he gave me the number somewhere…"

 

his phone is snatched away before he can press the call button. "do i get  _ any _ say at all?" jinki asks. he looks...almost angry, taemin thinks. odd, since jinki never really gets angry with taemin. amused, perturbed, confused. never angry.

 

"are you mad at me?" 

 

jinki blinks at taemin's tentative question. and just stares for awhile, before shaking his head and laughing a little. "i'm in love with you too, you know."

 

it's said softly, without emphasis, but the words sound like a vow.

 

"oh," taemin breathes out. " _ oh. _ "

 

"yeah." 

 

jinki's smile is like the sun, like the morning light streaming in, like the hope of a brand new day.

 

and taemin soon discovers that his kisses have its heat.

**Author's Note:**

> idt i'm v good at ontae lmao, but i wanted to complete the project so gotta write all the pairings i'm not v sure of.  
> i hope it wasn't that shitty!


End file.
